Héctor García-Molina facts for kids

Héctor García-Molina (born November 15, 1953 – died November 25, 2019) was a very important computer scientist. He was from both Mexico and the United States. He taught at Stanford University, which is a famous school. He was a professor in both the Computer Science and Electrical Engineering departments.

Héctor García-Molina was also a mentor to Sergey Brin. Sergey Brin later became one of the people who started Google. Héctor helped Sergey from 1993 to 1997 when Sergey was a student at Stanford.

Early Life and Education

Héctor García-Molina was born in Monterrey, Mexico. He was very good at school. He studied at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, which is called ITESM. After that, he moved to the United States for more studies. He earned his Ph.D. in computer science. A Ph.D. is the highest degree you can get at a university.

Work at Stanford University

Héctor García-Molina spent most of his career at Stanford University. He was known for being a great teacher and researcher. He helped many students learn about computers and technology. Many of his students became successful in their own careers.

What are Distributed Databases?

Héctor García-Molina was famous for his work on something called "distributed databases." Imagine you have a huge library of information. Instead of keeping all the books in one building, you spread them out across many different buildings. A distributed database works like that. It stores information across many computers that are connected. This makes it faster and safer to find and use information. If one computer breaks, the information is still safe on other computers.

Why are Distributed Databases Important?

Distributed databases are super important for today's internet. Think about big websites like Google or Facebook. They handle billions of pieces of information every day. They need to store this data in a way that is quick to access and always available. Héctor García-Molina's research helped make this possible. His ideas are used in many of the technologies we use every day.

Awards and Recognition

Héctor García-Molina received many awards for his amazing work. In 1999, he won the ACM SIGMOD Edgar F. Codd Innovations Award. This award is given to people who have made very important new ideas in managing data. He was also a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering. This is a big honor for engineers.

Legacy and Impact

Héctor García-Molina passed away in 2019. But his work continues to influence computer science. Many of his former students are now leaders in technology. His research helped build the foundation for how we search for information and use online services today. He truly helped shape the digital world we live in.

See also

In Spanish: Héctor García Molina para niños